Minster Surfacing Ltd – Two decades of excellence

This year sees Minster Surfacing Ltd celebrating its 20th anniversary and the company is aiming to mark the milestone by building on an impressive 2018, as Bruce Spencer-Knott, Managing Director, recently outlined to Construction Industry News.

“Based in Lincoln, we work on
multi-million-pound infrastructure projects for many of the UK’s largest
construction firms, as well as councils, central government, defence and the aviation
industry,” explains Mr Spencer-Knott. “We’re able to access all areas of the UK
and are regularly asked to carry out works for the Ministry of Defence
nationwide.”

Having begun life in 1999 as a two-man band
offering specialist macadam applications, continuing evolution means that
Minster Surfacing can now offer a comprehensive construction package including
site excavation, drainage, planing, block paving and surfacing. As its
capabilities have grown so has its reputation, which is reflected in a client
list that includes such leading names as Balfour Beatty, Amey, SKANSKA, Galliford
Try Group, Kier Group and TARMAC.

“Myself and the other co-founder of the
business, Tony, gradually built up the business before I bought out his shares in
2013 as he was nearing retirement age,” adds Mr Spencer-Knott. “At the time we were
turning over around £1.5m but last year we were approaching the £18m-mark.”

This surge in turnover highlights Minster
Surfacing’s upward trajectory in recent years. What’s more, the growth doesn’t
look like slowing anytime yet given the opportunities that are coming the
company’s way. “All the indications are that the Government is committed to
improving the nation’s roads and after it released significant funds last year this
looks set to continue into 2019, which points towards another great year for
us. It has also been announced that the MoD is being given substantial funds
for projects that will be rolled out this year so we’re gearing up for a very
busy 12 months ahead.”

The progression that Minster Surfacing has
made and its ability to capitalise on the potential for further growth that the
marketplace is providing hasn’t come about by chance. Instead continuous
investment in its equipment and its people, not to mention an emphasis on
developing its supply chain, has helped pave the way for the company’s ongoing
development. “Although we have a great deal of experience within the management
team, we are also very forward-thinking and willing to keep abreast of the
latest technology,” says Mr Spencer-Knott. “As a consequence we’re always
striving to push innovative and new machinery into a sector that some wrongly
perceive to be a dirty industry devoid of technological advancement. The
reality is that we are the polar opposite of this perception. We are extremely
proactive when it comes to embracing the likes of autonomous paving and the
ability to harmonise laptops and palm-held gadgets with the hardware that can
be seen carrying out operations daily on carriageways the length and breadth of
the country.

“Being technology-focused brings dual
benefits; it not only helps us to cement our leading position within the
marketplace, but it also makes us a more attractive proposition for young
people who are increasingly considering us as a viable option to build a career
with. At a time when there’s a substantial skills shortage, and a growing
number of experienced operatives are reaching retirement age, this is more
important than ever before, particularly as the likes of the HS2 project and
the development of Heathrow will be a magnet for many trades and operatives. We
have to get the next generation interested and I strongly believe the strength
of the tech will be a key way of making this possible.

“Another way we’re looking to attract young
people into the business is by improving our recycling performance. This is
another major issue that they’re interested in, so we’ve been keen to raise
awareness of our work in this area.”

This sustainable approach led to award
recognition for Minster Surfacing in 2018 with the company securing the Overall
Award and the Best Business Award at the Lincolnshire Environment Awards. It
also won the award for Innovation in Construction at the Lincolnshire
Technology & Innovation Awards, where it was also highly commended for Best
Business.

“Receiving external recognition is very
important because we sometimes feel like we’re pushing a boulder up a hill as
we try to change people’s thought processes when it comes to recycling. So many
are stuck in their ways. Being put forward for awards of this nature and
winning them is a fantastic way to not only raise awareness of what we’re about
as a business, but is also a great way of showcasing what’s possible. It has
also helped us secure additional work in other areas of the country so it’s
very much a win-win.”

Further underlining its forward-thinking
ethos, in 2016 Minster Surfacing moved to purpose-built modern offices in
Lincoln. This is supported by a satellite office in Oxford that services a
number of the MoD’s barracks across London and the surrounding area. Having
committed so strongly to developing its infrastructure, its workforce and its
equipment; the company looks ideally placed to build on an award-laden 2018.

“We’re striving to keep the momentum going
and I’m particularly keen to further develop the management team to spread the
load more evenly,” concludes Mr Spencer-Knott. “We’re very proud of the growth
we’ve seen and the reputation we’ve gained within the marketplace but there is
an element of being careful what you wish for.

“Minster Surfacing has evolved into a very
large beast that now needs constantly feeding so it’s vitally important the
growth remains sustainable and we have solid foundations in place and the right
people in place. I can’t stress how important attracting new blood into the
industry is in this regard so we’ll certainly being doing our utmost in this
area.

“It’s a hugely exciting industry and we’re
looking forward to capitalising on the opportunities within the marketplace by
continually innovating and pushing ourselves to the next level. Of course it
will be challenging but this is something I personally thrive on. The word
engineer comes from the medieval Latin ingeniator,
which means to use a logical process to fix things or make them better. This is
an ethos I embrace and is what I’ve built the business around.”

Given the level of passion that Mr
Spencer-Knott has for the industry and the company he’s helped create, it wouldn’t
be difficult to imagine Minster Surfacing’s 20th anniversary year being its
best yet.